A Christian Directory, Part 1: Christian EthicsBaxter, Richard
Religion
A Christian Directory, Part 1: Christian Ethics
Baxter, Richard
Casuistry; Christian sociology
5. If it be possible, he will choose such instruments as have the
greatest abilities to do him service: one man of great wit, and
learning, and elocution, that is nimble in disputing, and can make
almost any cause seem good which he defendeth, or bad which he opposeth,
is able to do more service for the devil than a hundred idiots.
6. If possible, he will choose the rulers of the world to be his
instruments; that shall command men, and threaten them with
imprisonment, banishment, confiscation, or death, if they will not sin:
as the king of Babylon did by the three witnesses and Daniel, Dan. iii.
and vi. and all persecutors have done in all ages, against the holy
seed. For he knoweth, that (though not with a Job, yet with a carnal
person) "skin for skin, and all that a man hath will he give for his
life." And therefore, they that have the power of life, and liberty, and
estate, have carnal men by the handle that will rule them.
7. He maketh the rich his instruments; that, having the wealth of the
world, are able to reward and hire evil-doers; and are able to oppress
those that will not please them. Landlords and rich men can do the
devil more service than many of the poor: they are the Judases that
bear the bag. As the ox will follow him that carrieth the hay, and the
horse will follow him that carrieth the provender, and the dog will
follow him that feedeth him, and the crow will be where the carrion
is; so carnal persons will follow and obey him that bears the purse.
8. The devil, if he can, will make those his instruments, whom he
seeth we most esteem and reverence; persons whom we think most wise
and fit to be our counsellors: we will take that from these, which we
would suspect from others.
9. He will get our relations, and those that have our hearts most, to be
his instruments. A husband, or a wife, or a Delilah, can do more than
others; and so can a bosom friend, whom we dearly love: when all their
interest in our affections is made over for the devil's service, it may
do much. Therefore we see that husbands and wives, if they love
entirely, do usually close in the same religion, opinion, or way, though
when they were first married they differed from each other.
10. As oft as he can, the devil maketh the multitude his instrument;
that the crowd and noise may carry us on, and make men valiant, and
put away their fear of punishment.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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